PAKISTAN MUST PAY

Pakistan stands exposed today in the wake of Jaish claim of having carried out the gruesome terror attack on Indian security forces in the Kashmir valley.

BY SUNEEL KOUL

Peace has been disrupted, blood on the road of those who travel miles & across mountains to guard our borders & protect people from acts of Pakistan sponsored terror. It is no coincidence then that the ISI trained & Pakistan supported Jaish leadership has claimed responsibility for the dastardly attack that sniffed life out of scores of our brave hearts. India is no stranger to such hostile acts. But the manner & alarming proportion that the recent attack has taken, this exposes chinks in our security apparatus & gathering of intelligence. The proxy war emanating from across the border that has soured relations between both the countries has this time raised its ugly head in an altogether different dimension than anticipated.

Pakistan it seems is yet to come to grips with its 1971 military loss to India & it continues to harbor terrorist & safe havens inimical to India on its oil. They did not spare the US even who some would argue has unfortunately been complicit in its role & responsibility to world peace & amity. Not many would have forgotten the rise of Taliban in the region, trained, armed & encouraged by the US-Pak machinations to unsettle Russia from Afghanistan. But in its short term gain, the US & others gave birth to the most cruel & brutal sect that knows nothing but bloodshed & mayhem. The realization did come, but it was too little too late; the famous chiding by Hillary Clinton of Pakistan in the aftermath of Osama Bin Laden’s killing saying “you can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors. You know, eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard. Effectively self censoring & unsparing of its (US) role its own role & commitment towards tagging & fighting terror.

In nearly three decades of militancy, we have had hardly any suicide bomb attacks of such scale & impunity & scale, clearly i8ndicating a paradigm in terror related strategy of the enemy forces. Naturally the government has reacted by way of withdrawing the ‘MFN’ status from Pakistan, apart from the usual rhetorical tongue lashing & a promise to take revenge. Home minister Raj Nath Singh is scheduled to visit the Valley to take a stock of the situation. All ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party have also cancelled their political rallies for the time being. So has Priyanka Gandhi cancelled her presser that she was supposed to address on Valentine day.

“The Indian government condemns in the strongest possible terms the cowardly terrorist attack on India’s brave security forces in Pulwama,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. This heinous and despicable act has been perpetrated by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation proscribed by the UN and other countries, it said. “The terror group is led by the international terrorist Masood Azhar, who has been given full freedom by the Pakistani government to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under Pakistan’s control and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity,” the MEA said.

The world community at large has condemned the terror attack in Pulwama, with global leaders like the US, Russia and France asserting that they stand with India in combating the menace of terrorism. Germany strongly condemned the heinous terrorist attack, saying stands by its strategic partner India. Australia, Turkey, Canada and Czech Republic also condemned the horrific terror attack. India’s neighbors Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives also expressed solidarity and vowed to combat the menace of terrorism jointly.

Meanwhile, the White House has asked Pakistan to immediately end “support” and “safe haven” to all terror groups as it strongly condemned the Pulwama terrorist attack. “The United States calls on Pakistan to end immediately the support and safe haven provided to all terrorist groups operating on its soil, whose only goal is to sow chaos, violence, and terror in the region,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a late night statement. Pakistan, however, has denied allegations and said that it has “always condemned acts of violence” anywhere in the world. “We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian media and government that seek to link the attack to Pakistan without investigations,” it said.

Pakistan can in no way continue to deny its role in such acts, when it has been globally identified & hauled & proscribed many a time for such irresponsible conduct
by the state. It is time the world stood with India in its hour of grief & unequivocally ostracized Pakistan for this hostile act. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for the terror attack in Pulwama orchestrated by Jish & its masterminds from across the border. The Prime Minister, after chairing a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting with his top ministers, said the security forces have been given full freedom to retaliate. “The forces behind this act of terrorism & those responsible for it, will be definitely be punished,” he said. Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who resumed charge as finance minister, said the government will initiate all possible diplomatic steps to ensure Pakistan’s complete isolation from the international community for having a direct hand in this attack.

India has failed to get Pakistan completely exposed & isolated from the saner & responsible comity of nations. It hasn’t been able to get China to favor its endeavor of international sanctions against Jaish-e-Mohammad’s leader, Masood Azhar. Even though Pakistan continues to dodge & deny its direct & indirect role in terrorism against India in particular & world at large, it stands completely exposed today in the aftermath of this attack. The blast took place on the heavily guarded Srinagar-Jammu highway 20 kilometers shy of the summer capital, Srinagar, when the convoy of CRPF vehicles was waylaid by a suicide bomber in his SUV.

Amidst this grief & mourning, India stands united. All political parties & leadership has unequivocally condemned the attack & wowed support & revenge on the enemy forces. The entire nation feels wounded today with tension & emotions running high. It is time the world stood up to such brazen acts of omission & commission & go beyond oral condemnations & decide once & for all, if it stood united against terror or selective on it.